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FASHION FORWARD
Teen designers compete for $4,000 scholarship and internship with O'Neill at Second Annual Generation Next event
Photos: Sam Olson
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September 28, 2009
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While most 15-year-olds are concerned about getting opening day tickets for the new Twilight movie,
Angela Urmanita is thinking about how to become a successful fashion designer.
And before last Friday night, it probably never crossed Angela's mind that the surf industry would help make that ambition a reality. |
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After entering and winning O'Neill and Teen Vogue's Second Annual Generation Next event, Angela has landed a design internship with O'Neill and a $4,000 scholarship to a school of her choice. "My friend got an e-mail from Teen Vogue and she sent it to me because she knew I'd be interested," Angela said. "I was really excited to join it but I didn't know I'd get this far. I'm so happy." With an entrance line stretching the length of a city block, over 600 guests and industry insiders packed into Seven Degrees in Laguna Beach to cheer for the teen designers which aside from Angela included other high school students Lauren Alvarez of La Palma, Lori Ke of Lakewood and Kari Filardo of Orange. The event concluded a six-month program based at O'Neill's headquarters, where each of the four Generation Next finalists worked diligently to create an original dress and handbag design with the help of O'Neill mentors. "We had interviews in the beginning, then they chose 10 finalists and then they narrowed it down to five, but one girl had to drop out at the last minute," explained Angela. "The design team at O'Neill helped us a lot with our designs, guiding us in the process. But they pretty much just went with my ideas, which I made for O'Neill so that it fit with their company's style. I really love the beachy style because coming from Southern California, it's really part of everyone's style. So I really tried to make something unique but beachy at the same time." The high-energy fashion show featured highlights from O'Neill's Spring 2010 collection and creations from Angela, Lauren, Lori and Kari. Each designer was introduced by a short video documenting their experience in the program, and explaining the inspiration for their design. From boho rock and aloha mod to urban '80s surfer girl, the four designers put their own playful interpretations on the latest trends for 2010. "It was such a pleasure working with this talented group of girls," said Kari Johnson, VP of Design at O'Neill. "Each girl brought her unique take to the O'Neill look and we're so pleased with the end result. Not only was this a great hands-on learning experience for them, it was invaluable for O'Neill because it gave us the opportunity to work alongside our target audience." The event, hosted by musician Thomas Fiss, raised over $3,000 for Boarding for Breast Cancer, an organization dedicated to increasing awareness and prevention for breast cancer and the value of an active lifestyle. MORE WOMENS SURFLINE HOME PAGE |